Saturday, December 3, 2011

Iconic Beauty


There is only one way to describe Peggy and that she is beautiful in every sense of the word. I have loved and admired her most of my life, and the best thing is that she looks like me. I know most women look to magazines and TV for images of beauty but I found beautiful  images of women to immolate and admire in my church up-close and personal. I know that I base some of my personal style and flare from all of them. For instance,  my stilettos Auntie Lynda, Unique outfit and panache Peggy, and hair Suge. One I haven't quite mastered is Miss Crum's hat game I'm still working on that one.  One of my most fondest memories of Peggy is that one Saturday when I was a little girl, the area baptist churches were having a community softball game. This was back in the day when it didn't matter what church you belong to we all knew each other and fellowshiped together. This particular Saturday my church  New Hope Baptist church was playing a game against Mont Olivet. A friend and I were playing against the wall that led out to the baseball diamond. Peggy rolls up on her bike as usual she is sporting a wide smile and she stopped to talk to us. I remember her getting ready to play and locking her up her bike and then she pulls out this thick red tube that said Bonnie Bell Lipsmaker and it has two big strawberries on it. I said" I didn't  know grown women wore lip gloss" and she said "yes they do".  From that point on I had to have one. I would not let up on begging my mom for one. So finally, she bought me bonnie bell lip smacker tin  that slid to open with the two flavors. I was too thrilled to have one and I have never been without a lip gloss,stick, or balm since. Another  thing that stand out in my mind about Peggy is her warm and kind spirit .  She has a beauty that radiates from the inside out and spills out when she speaks. One Sunday she read the poem Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson to this day it stays within my heart and soul, because you can tell the poem meant something to her. You could see and feel that this was not just a poem to her. It was one of those moments where you wanted to know and serve the God she served. Especially when she got to the part "During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you". Peggy reading that poem in that way I know for sure goes down in our church history finer moments and history. Peggy is iconic to because her beauty never fades, her inner beauty can be seen, and her just being Peggy my greatest beauty icon of all time.

She shared with me her beauty regimen and her it is below in her own words.



 I can not say that I do anything out-of-the-ordinary.  I can say, however, that I love the Lord and His Love which He poured into me I love sharing with others.  I really do want to be a vessel that is fit for the Lord's use!  I give Him the praise, the glory and the honor for His Spirit of LOVE! And I believe that it is His Spirit which you see shining through me ... you call it beauty!  I know that it is His spirit within me.

You might also know that I am a positive individual who looks for the good in every situation and believe that “all things are working together for good”  because of my love for the Lord.

Thirdly, the Lord has given me a desire to be physically fit and it is routine for me to exercise on a regular basis.  I can remember back as early as when I was approximately 5 years old that I had this desire to be physically fit.  And I would do that by running, jumping rope, jumping jacks, sit-ups, and other forms of exercise.  I continue that desire for a temple which is fit - both spiritually and physically - for the Lord's use.  I know that physical exercise has value (yes, it is a good thing!), but spiritual exercise (reading my Word, praying, attending church regularly, etc.) is much more important, for it promises a reward both in this life and in eternity.  I try to maintain that balance.

Lastly, I will reiterate that (what you call beauty) that you see in me does not come from my makeup, my short hairstyle, my high cheekbones, my physical stature, or looking good in a beautiful outfit.  Rather it radiates from the inside out, from a heart that loves the Lord!  "It is in Him that I live, move and have my being"!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Pineapple Your Hair

 For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, when you pineapple your hair, it’s the procedure used to preserve your curl pattern. What it entails is massaging some of your favorite hair oil my favorite is coconut into your scalp and on your ends. Then using a headband (preferably one that’s semi-worn) and using it to put your hair on top of your head-like a pineapple. Now, by doing this, you can sleep on your head however you want, and your curls won’t become flat or looked worn out. Some women use this method when they’re rocking their curls, and it’s helped preserve them for a week. Below is a video from my favorite video blogger African Export on how to do it.

Uncle Funky's Daughter

Keep The Junk In The Trunk


One of my favorite hair care lines for natural hair. My picks are the Thirsty Curls and the Defunk. The Defunk I love because you can use it to freshen your hair anytime anywhere. I go back and forth between Defunk and Greg Juice from Oyin Handmade www.oyinhandmade.com. I love this site because it is an one stop shop for natural hair and a great resource to learn your curl pattern and what type of products go with your curl pattern. This  is major because sometimes its easy to waste money on products that are not right for your curl type and pattern.  The online tutorials are very helpful and bring a new dimension on education and how to safely style your hair and  what to use and how to use it. Check it out at www.unclefunkysdaughter.com Or if you live in Houston, TX visit their salon and shop at 2428 Times Boulevard, Houston TX. 77005

Friday, October 14, 2011

Inner Beauty

The recipe for beauty is to have less illusion and more Soul, to retreat from the belief of pain or pleasure in the body into the unchanging calm and glorious freedom of spiritual harmony.
~Mary Baker-Eddy
One of my favorite movies is Waiting to Exhale one my best friends Michelle and I would watch this movie over and over in her apartment over on Thomas Street. When either of us had a bad day or a "situation" we would pop this in the VCR along with our white zin, and it became a ritual and to this day if were getting together we ask, "is this a waiting to exhale moment". This was legendary among our male friends as well and  if they came over to her house and saw the movie in I remember my friend Garland would say "are yall on one of those exhale moments?" One of the lines that stick out to me is when the Whitney character said "well if your ugly on the inside then your ugly on the outside" I still love that line because it is so true. I know from time to time the major focus is fixing whats on the outside but doing soul work and finding inner beauty requires that same amount of attention.  As I form my own recipe card for what is beautiful to me and what I want to project is peace, grace and resilience instantly comes to mind. I use to hate to have conversations or be with people who have a pre conceived idea of who I am and what I'm about based on what they think to be true about who I am. Also because  it was usually  an onesided conversation with the tone of I'm so gald I'm not you. Being a single parent often brings an un welcomed  automatic judgment, ignorance, and entitlement from those who are not single parent(s) and often this comes from people who I have established relationships with or have known for a long time. In the past I would retreat and focus on why do people think their better than me because their married. (maybe because they were literally telling me they thought so)Then it came to me that I was focusing on the wrong thing and putting energy in other's perception and pre conceived notions of me and I did not want to project that I agreed becuase I didn't and  I thought the comments, assessments and diggs where some of the most ignorant self serving string of sentances that I have ever heard in my life.  Once I began to boldly buffer these conversations with talking about my happiness and joy of where I am in life and love these conversations and interactions with people stopped thank God.( I guess I'm not supposed to be happy lol) I began to realize that being calm, confident and also thankful and walking in my belief that what God has for me it is for me no matter what. I began to feel a glorious freedom, spiritual harmony and beautiful.
    

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

For the No Lye Divas Hair Rules!


From now until November 14th enjoy Hair Rules Special Offer of your favorite 16oz products for 24.99

Also what is excited Dickey will be on Skype for a free hair rules consultations. Get answers to all of your textured questions from one of the best textured multi-cultural stylist and nurturer of natural hair. Be sure you have a camera connection before calling in to hairrules via Skype! Don't miss this its not everyday you get a chance to get your question answered by a game changer in natural hair.

Next call dates: 10/16@5pm,10/24@11:00am and 10/30@ 5pm.